Rhenish Revolution

The Rhenish Revolution (9-18 May 1848) was one of the Revolutions of 1848, occurring in Prussia's Rhine Province in western Germany. In 1849, Prussia raised large Landwehr regiments in the Rhineland to crush liberal uprisings in the rest of Germany, having mistaken the Rhineland's initial inaction during the revolutions for signs of loyalty. The bourgeoisie and the proletariat of the Rhineland rose up against the Prussians, and uprisings broke out in Elberfeld, Dusseldorf, Iserlohn, and Solingen on 9 May 1848. While the Dusseldorf uprising was quelled on 10 May, 15,000 workers took to the streets of Elberfeld and erected barricades, and a "Committee of Public Safety" was established to guide the revolution. Citizens prevented Prussian soldiers from raising conscripts, and the Prussians raised only 40 troops from Elberfeld. Rebels attempted to storm arsenals to acquire weapons for an uprising, but the Committee of Public Safety was unable to coordinate large uprisings, and the uprisings fell apart. The Prussian Army would eventually quell the unrest, as it did with many other regions.